How Augmented Reality impacts the video games industry in social media?

Augmented Reality proved itself to be a successful tool to promote nearly all industries present in social media. Video games are no different in that matter and today we would like to present you with case studies showing the best examples of AR utilization created so far. Our goal is to provide you with an inspiration based on best practices that emerged within the last year.

UX and Character Customization

by Ubisoft & Biborg

For the premiere of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey game back in October 2018, Ubisoft created fully customizable 3d models of two main protagonists in the game i.e. Kassandra and Alexios. Users were able to choose the helmets, armour, greaves, gauntlets, weapons, skin colour and gender which resulted in amazing 20 736 unique combinations.

“With this experience, Ubisoft wanted to push the game’s numerous character customisation possibilities. It was a technical challenge, in terms of the variety of character attributes – both masculine and feminine – the device’s loading capabilities and the graphic assets’ dynamic animation, all of which we had to create within the platform’s limitations” explains Alain Puget, associate director of Biborg Nantes.

Gaming Experience & Competition

by PlayStation & Lens That

The new God of War instalment was a highly anticipated video game. For years, fans could take control over Kratos to make him rage and rampage. This time, things went in a different way: everyone could become Kratos and get a little sneak peek into his world before the premiere.

With PlayStation’s Facebook Camera Effect, everybody got the opportunity to become God of War’s main character. The front camera turned the user into Kratos with his long beard, scarred face, and freezing breath. But that wasn’t all! The best-looking Kratos could win a prize in a contest organized by PlayStation.

AR minigame was placed in rear camera. The goal was to get as many points as possible by throwing an axe at a target. It was a tough challenge for a mortal but very engaging for everyone.

Facebook Messenger + AR

by Ubisoft

As we already covered the topic of combining together Messenger and AR in this article, here is another example proving that such activations can be efficient and engaging. Before the premiere of The Division 2, an exclusive AR experience accessible through Facebook Messenger called The Division 2 Echo was launched. This was a Pokemon GO style game that allowed users to unlock weapons through finding “echos” in the real world.

With over 50 different stories accessible upon coming at specific locations on the map like ATMs, grocery stores, schools, bus stations etc. users were able to receive in-game rewards before the official premiere of the game.

With over 50 different stories accessible upon coming at specific locations on the map like ATMs, grocery stores, schools, bus stations etc. users were able to receive in-game rewards before the official premiere of the game.

Engagement and brand loyalty

by Blizzard

For all World of Warcraft players, there is no doubt that after 15 years the Horde and Alliance became the brands themselves. For those who are not familiar with the game, these are two main factions fighting each other with completely different characters and culture. For that reason, Blizzard gave all players a unique chance to show the pride of belonging to their beloved faction.

Twitch Extension for Snap Camera

Finally, there is one more food for thought, i.e. Lenses for Gamers. Twitch extension enables broadcasters to easily add and change lenses while streaming, letting them add an extra quality to their videos by emphasizing their actual mood, alluding to the current situation inside the gameplay or promoting the upcoming titles using Snapchat Lens during promotional gameplay. Thanks to the Snapcode in the bottom left corner of the window, viewers are enabled to use the same lens as the broadcaster. What’s more, the streamer can thank his new subscribers by unlocking an additional lens for them. If you find it interesting, make sure to check out our full articles on Snap Camera and Influencer AR Mixed Marketing (yes, gamers are influencers too!)

More Examples

If you are not inspired yet, make sure to click the icon below and check out Video Games collection on Lenslist where you will find even more detailed examples!

Thanks for the read and until next time!